College employees rallied to provide nearly 40 educational sessions for middle schoolers from across the region who visited campus on Monday for the college’s twice-a-year Career Day. Facilitated by the college’s College Transitions Office, the event provided 1,267 students with opportunities to explore a wide variety of careers in each of the college’s six academic schools. Visitors included 13 schools and home-schooled students.
PCToday continues its regular feature – welcoming new full-time and regular part-time Pennsylvania College of Technology employees, as reported by the Human Resources Office.
Pennsylvania College of Technology held the Triple Crown of commencement ceremonies May 17-18 for more than 900 students who petitioned to graduate following the Spring 2019 semester. The Friday afternoon proceedings at the Community Arts Center honored students from the School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies and the School of Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications. Saturday morning featured The School of Construction & Design Technologies and the School of Health Sciences, while students from the School of Business & Hospitality and the School of Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies graduated during the afternoon session. Student speakers were Hannah G. Maize, of Riverside, who received a bachelor’s degree in plastics and polymer engineering technology on Friday; Lauren S. Herr, of Lititz, awarded a bachelor’s in construction management at Saturday morning’s session; and David A. Gadalla, of Mechanicsburg, who received a bachelor’s degree in aviation maintenance technology in the weekend’s final ceremony. The college also bestowed three teaching honors – the Veronica M. Muzic Master Teacher Award and two Excellence in Teaching Awards – as well as three alumni awards.
Three Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty members were honored at Spring 2019 Commencement ceremonies for their prowess as teachers.
Ryan P. Good, assistant professor of welding, was presented with the highest honor accorded to Penn College faculty: the Veronica M. Muzic Master Teacher Award.
Two faculty members received recognition for their outstanding teaching skills by earning Excellence in Teaching Awards: Drew R. Potts, assistant professor and department head of civil engineering technology, and David S. Richards, professor of physics.
A team led by Chef Michael J. Ditchfield, Penn College instructor of hospitality management/culinary arts, was named the winner of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s inaugural cooking competition, Chopped.
On Ditchfield’s team were volunteers from three of the Food Bank’s partner agencies: Ron Taylor, a trained chef and a volunteer and member of Diamond Street Christian Church; Karla Sexton, business development/client development officer for River Valley Health and Dental; and Narcisa Ebner, a client of Hope Enterprises’ as well as Food Bank board member Frank Pellegrino. Ditchfield’s “Blue Team” faced off against the “Red Team,” led by Chef Peter Daugherty of The James Restaurant and featuring a similar group of community members.
A year-end banquet honored 18 students with Penn College Awards, recognizing 2019 graduates who have made outstanding contributions to Pennsylvania College of Technology and who have risen above their peers through that leadership.
Anthony J. Pace, director of student activities, presided over Thursday evening’s event in the Thompson Professional Development Center. Recipients were presented with a plaque and a Penn College lapel pin, and their names will be permanently displayed on a wall outside the Student Activities Office.
Building on the words of Thomas Jefferson (“I am a great believer in luck … and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it”), President Davie Jane Gilmour welcomed the honorees’ families and friends by admitting she felt like the most fortunate person in the room.
“These students have accomplished so much for their colleagues, their teams, their friends and – most importantly – for themselves,” she said, an apt segue to the testimonials that would follow. “We are forever better for what they’ve done for us, with us and alongside us.”
More than 100 industry officials, thought leaders and partners – representing 69 employers – attended Thursday’s second annual Apprenticeship Summit to discuss how best to close skills gaps, retain workers and attract new employees. The keynote speaker was Eric M. Seleznow, senior adviser with Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit that collaborates with national authorities on education, workforce development, business, technology, government and philanthropy. Other presenters at the summit, themed around “Best Practices in Apprenticeship,” included Joe Miller, senior human resources professional with First Quality Enterprises; Angela Hummel, talent development leader at Angela Hummel Consulting; and Eric M. Ramsay, director of the apprenticeship and training office for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Among the Penn College representatives on the agenda were President Davie Jane Gilmour; Shannon M. Munro, vice president for workforce development; and Christopher P. Ray, Workforce Development’s executive director for business development. The day also featured workshops, networking opportunities, a showing of two recent college videos on apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, and lunch in CC Commons.
Spurred by a local merchant and setting a blistering pace for fundraising, the Student Government Association at Pennsylvania College of Technology met its 2018-19 goal of purchasing a bicycle repair station for the Rose Street Apartments housing complex.
SGA’s Executive Board contacted the proprietors of The Bicycle Center – a 90-year-old, fourth-generation shop in South Williamsport – explaining its objective and seeking expert advice.
Pennsylvania College of Technology celebrated the contributions and commitment of its staff and faculty during an Employee Recognition Week gathering on May 16.
As part of an all-college meeting to end the spring semester, President Davie Jane Gilmour presented Distinguished Staff, Excellence in Academic Advising and Outstanding Assessment awards, as well as recognizing retirees, members of the Quarter Century Club, and employees hitting the 30- and 35-year plateaus during the 2018-19 academic year.
Ending the spring semester with a Thursday morning message to faculty and staff, President Davie Jane Gilmour celebrated superhero-caliber employees who regularly and selflessly fight the good fight on behalf of Pennsylvania College of Technology students’ success. Her address also recapped accomplishments during 2018-19 and anticipated the opportunities to come: “We have had an incredible year. Student and faculty success. Expanding welding, opening in Wellsboro, the turf field,” she said. “Most importantly, we have changed lives – we have contributed to the growth of our community and our students. We have helped each other when necessary and made everyday efforts on behalf of Penn College.”
A graduation ceremony was held Wednesday morning for Rylee A. Butler, a member of the Penn College archery team who is unable to attend commencement exercises due to this weekend’s U.S. National Outdoor Collegiate Championships in Ohio. President Davie Jane Gilmour presented the diploma to Butler, who earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology, during a brief gathering in the Student & Administrative Services Center. The building’s lobby was filled with family and other well-wishers, including faculty from the School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies; as well as representatives of the Athletics Department, Academic Affairs, and the Admissions, Registrar and Financial Aid offices. In addition to her degree, Butler is receiving the Academic Vice President and Provost’s Award and the Engineering Design Technology Faculty Award; she also was recently inducted into the college’s new Chi Alpha Sigma honor society for student-athletes. Spring graduation often coincides with postseason play and, in recent years, the president has taken road trips to present diplomas so Wildcats didn’t have to choose between commencement and competition.
The first graduating class of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s brewing and fermentation science major is fully employed and ready to share its talents with employers and beer lovers.
The six graduates are among more than 800 students participating in Penn College’s commencement exercises May 17-18 at the Community Arts Center in downtown Williamsport.
“I am very proud of the hard work this group has put in over the past two years of rigorous study,” said Timothy L. Yarrington, instructor of brewing fermentation and science. “I am also happy to have them joining the community of educated professional brewers. I look forward to following their successes as their careers take shape.”
A manufacturing engineering technology student at Pennsylvania College of Technology hit the right note with his senior project – literally.
Jaron A. Williams, of Lopez, spent countless hours during the academic year combining his twin passions of manufacturing and music to create a functional bass guitar.
“When he submitted this as a proposal, I said ‘yes,’ but I told him he would have to play it during his presentation,” noted John M. Good, instructor of automated manufacturing and machining. “He did. It sounded great! As he played, he demonstrated various technical aspects and sound-quality controls of his guitar. The audience was amazed.”
An inaugural exhibition displaying the architectural design work of 18 seniors in the building science and sustainable design majors at Pennsylvania College of Technology will open soon in The Gallery at Penn College.
A public reception for “Sustainable Design 2019” will be held Thursday, May 16, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., with a gallery talk at 4:30 p.m. The design work will be on display May 16-23 in the gallery on the third floor of the Madigan Library.
This fall, when Pennsylvania College of Technology opens its expanded welding lab facility – one that will enable enrollment of up to 60 more future welders annually – students in the popular program will hone their skills on industry-standard equipment they are sure to encounter on the job.
A partnership between Penn College and Miller, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of original equipment used in the welding industry, will ensure that students in the college’s welding majors gain familiarity with equipment that is used throughout the welding industry.